UA 3494: MSP to EWR
January 8, 2017
Embraer ERJ-175, Dinner
For better and worse, this flight felt more like a carnival ride than a typical UA experience. We had only 23 pax on board, and so F consisted of the only three Premiers on the plane plus three lucky nonrevs and a record (that I've seen domestically) six empty seats. Announcements were done Southwest-style ("Smoking is not permitted onboard the aircraft. If you really want to smoke you're in luck however; we have four smoking sections: two in the rear of the aircraft through the doors to the left and right, and two in the front...").
Unfortunately this was not a high point for dining. (Although with recent stories I should be glad dinner was catered at all!) The salad was decent, at least. Spring mix along with fresh strawberries (delicious) and mandarin oranges with feta cheese. The balsamic vinaigrette was such a clash with the strawberry that I remain convinced it's a mis-cater.
The choices were the chicken wrap (shown) or a roast beef salad with glass noodles. I was not particularly enthusiastic about either choice, but I took the wrap. It was rather small, and the chipotle (or maybe Buffalo?) sauce along with the peppers in the wrap made it too spicy for my taste - it ended up feeling mostly like I ate wrapped peppers with a bit of chicken. The grapes on the wrap plate were a far cry from fresh, too. Sadly they seem to be out of Sam Adams Oktoberfest across the board, so the beer selections remain somewhat paltry (pictured: Goose Four Star Pils).
Having it again made me realize that the UX cookie is not, in fact, the same as mainline. And wow, it is good! I wish they would serve them on mainline flights... very chewy and sweet in addition to the chocolate.